2010 TOP 5 RISING
CHEFS IN THE U.S. Kevin Gillespie

Known best nationally for making it all the way to Top Chef’s Season Six finale, Gillespie is an Atlanta native with a reverence for seasonality and sustainability, and for elevating simple American fare to new heights. He began his culinary career at the city’s Art Institute; since leaving school, he’s worked at such celebrated local institutions as the Atlanta Grill at The Ritz-Carlton, Atlanta (as chef de partie) and TWO Urban Licks (as chef de cuisine). In 2006, he migrated to Portland, Oregon’s Fife restaurant (as executive sous chef), but eventually missed his close-knit Southern roots and returned to Woodfire, where he was promoted to executive chef in 2008 and made partner in 2009.